Another Rose
by ComicConDetox
Summary: When another Rose Quartz gem arrives on Earth, the Crystal Gems feelings for the old Rose may cloud their judgement on whether or not the new one can be trusted. Feelings conflict, a new perspective is shown, and consequences must be faced. Jake Cooper [Takes place before Doug Out]
1. Rose Arrives

They say that all things come at a price. This holds true in the case of Steven Universe, a young boy with fantastic powers. The cost of such powers, in his case, was his mother's own life. On top of a missing mom, he also has an entire planet that wants nothing more than to see him dead. For a crime he didn't commit, murdering an alien he never met, soldiers will descend from the sky for the sole purpose of killing him.

Today, however, is not one of those days. No secrets from his mom, no alien army coming for his gem, just a peaceful day on the beach, playing volleyball with one of his super-powered step moms.

"Heads up, Steven!" Amethyst called out as she slapped the volleyball out of the sky. The ball ignited, burning like a meteorite, heading straight for Steven, who defensively threw his hands up. A protective pink bubble appeared from rose petals below him, just in time for the volleyball to smash into it, and bounce off, high into the sky. Steven is sent rolling backwards a bit, still inside his bubble.

"Aww Amethyst." he groaned. "That was our last ball!"

"Eh, don't worry about it," she shrugged in response. "We can just use this one!" she eagerly lifted the bubble, Steven inside, and gives it a couple gentle tosses.

"Whoa, hey!" Steven laughed. Their shared laughter faded to silence, along with Steven's bubble fading into nothing.

"Wait," Amethyst said softly. "I think our ball is coming back." She pointed up to the sky, where they could see a small black dot, getting bigger and bigger, as if moving directly towards them. Before long, they could see that whatever was in the sky was not their ball. As it grew closer and closer, they could see flames surrounding it. Curious, but nervous, they stood in silence as it fell. The silence was ended with a loud crash, when the now massive sphere planted itself in the sand, sending clouds up all around it. The impact was enough to knock both gems off their feet, and catch the attention of Garnet and Pearl, who were inside together.

Scrambling to their feet, Pearl and Garnet rushed through the door, Pearl literally throwing it off the hinges in a panic.

"Steven! Amethyst!" she cried out as the two leaped off the ledge and onto the beach beside their friends, who were still shrouded in a sandstorm.

The dust cleared, and gave the three and a half gems a clear view of what had fallen from the sky. A familiar, but still strange sight: a Homeworld ship. This one in particular was a strange, deep purple colour. It was a near-perfect sphere shape, with a half-circle near the top, serving as the windshield. The flat part of the circle ran along the bottom of the windshield, and was just inches above where a door would appear. A crack at the top of the door appeared, and it slowly opened towards the Crystal Gems, forming a small ramp. A soft smoke leaked out of the ship, and from the haze stepped a pair of white boots. A dark red bodysuit surrounded the alien's strong, yet plump frame. It traced her body up to her shoulders, where soft, pink skin could be seen. Reaching down behind her shoulders were curly, messy strands of bright pink hair. She stepped closer, moving down the ramp with her weapon already drawn. Along her arm were thick, metal plates, white metal with a pink trim. They were wider than her arm and could easily protect against even strong attacks. At the end of her gauntlet was a long, pointed blade, all forming one unit that she could use for attacking and defending. But in her eyes, you could not see anger. She didn't bring any hatred, or bad intentions. Instead, the look on her face was one of fear and exhaustion, even for a creature who didn't need to eat or sleep. She kept her weapon, the bladed gauntlet, protectively across her chest. Completing her look was the gem planted in her chest. Slightly off to the left, where a human's heart would be, was the center of this alien's form: A rose quartz gem.


	2. Strange Gems

The Crystal Gems stood stunned, each holding their respective weapons, except for Steven himself. As soon as the Rose saw them, she jumped back, holding her arm and gauntlet straight towards them.

"How did you know I'd land here?!" the pink gem shouted, specifically at Amethyst. "I didn't even know I would land here! I don't even know where here is!"

"What are you talking about?" Amethyst asked.

"You're one of the Amethyst guards!" she yelled back. "They were chasing me! And..and there was someone yelling and...Wait..." Her frantic voice started to slow itself down. "You look different from the others. You're..."

"Smaller?" Amethyst finished the sentence. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"No one here is going to hurt you." Garnet calmly assured her. "And she's not going to hurt us." Garnet's own gauntlets evaporated into light as she gently approached the new arrival. Amethyst did the same with her whip, but stayed near Steven and Pearl. Steven stood, watching curiously, while Pearl grasped the handle of her spear, trembling a bit. Garnet carefully reached out towards the new Rose. "Put your weapon down. You're safe. I promise."

"No!" The new Rose yelped, giving a quick swing of her blade towards Garnet, who had the foresight to pull her hand back quickly. "What ARE you?! Are you...a fusion?" The panic returned to her voice.

"Let me try." Steven spoke up. He carefully approached the new Rose, who was slowly backing up towards the ship she arrived in. "Hi, my name is Steven."

"What's a Steven?" she responded, the blades of her gauntlet pointed down at him.

"I'm a human." he explained. "Sorta."

"A human? I've seen your kind before."

"You have? That's great!" he yelled. "But, I'm also...like you." he gently lifted his shirt, revealing his own rose quartz gem.

"You..." Rose stuttered. "You're a human and a quartz? That's...strange. You're a bunch of strange looking gems."

"Yeah, but that's what makes us so special!" he said excitedly. "Don't you wanna get to know us?"

"I...suppose." She hesitated for a moment before letting her weapon dissolve. She carefully took Steven's hand as he lead her away from the ship.

"I guess you've already met Garnet," Steven started.

"Pleasure." Garnet said bluntly.

"I've never seen a...Garnet." Rose said, confused. "What are you?" she asked again, a little bit more politely this time.

"Love." she responded with one word and a half smile.

"Then there's Amethyst," Steven continued. "Yeah, she's small but she's really strong and cool!"

"Sup?" Amethyst asked casually.

"I...I don't know what that means. 'cool' and 'sup' " Rose said, confused.

"We'll explain later," Steven laughed. "And finally, we have-

"Pearl!" Pearl shouted nervously.

"A pearl?" Rose asked. "But when I got off the ship, you were holding a weapon...Does your owner know you have that?"

"I uh..." Pearl stammered. "I don't have an owner."

"Ohh, you poor thing!" Rose sighed.

"No no!" Pearl yelled again. "It's a good thing! I'm...different! We all are."

"What is this place?" Rose said, looking around at the beach, the cliffs, the temple, and the strange gems around her.

"Earth," Steven said with a smile.

"Earth...the same one from so long ago? That big war?"

"Same planet, different world." Garnet said as the gems all approached the new Rose.

"The gems here are a little different than you might be used to," Pearl explained. "But you're welcome to stay. I'd be happy to show you around!" She shouted proudly.

"You will?" Steven asked. "Usually I teach gems about Earth...At least, I did with Lapis and Peridot."

"Oh please, Steven!" Pearl sneered. "I can show the beauty of Earth too. I have lived on it longer than you." She affectionately grabbed the new Rose's arm.

"Pearl, Are you..." Steven started a question before Garnet grabbed his attention by laying a hand on his shoulder.

"What do you say, Rose?" Pearl said gleefully. "Will you let me show you around what this planet has become? I think you'll be impressed!" Rose glanced at Pearl, then at the other gems. She then looked out at the vast ocean behind her.

"Please," Rose whispered. "Show me."


	3. Things I've Never Seen Before

"Where are you taking me?" Rose said as Pearl escorted her up a steep hill by her arm.

"Oh you'll love it! It's one of my favourite spots!" Pearl squealed. They scurried up higher, dodging trees, shrubs and rocks until they finally reached their destination. The top of the hill ended with a sharp cliff, on the side of Beach City opposite where the temple was located. From there, they could see the whole town, and even make out the shapes of cars and people walking around, enjoying themselves as the afternoon started to fade into evening. "Now, I know it's nowhere near as impressive as anything from Homeworld, but it's remarkable that something as simple as humans could build a city like this. And they've built some even more impressive and elaborate than this one!"

"I guess it is pretty nice..." Rose said, staring off into the town. "It's been so long since I've seen a city.." she trailed off.

"Not impressed? Look a little farther!" Pearl shouted. "You can really see how vast Earth's oceans are."

"The same ocean from before? When I landed?"

"Yes, the very same! It's big and mysterious. This planet even has creatures that live down there, but can't breathe up here!"

"That doesn't make any sense." Rose admitted.

"Well, Earth is a strange place." Pearl agreed. "But that's what we loved about it!" Rose stayed silent, still staring out at Beach City below her. "Still not impressed? Hmm.." Pearl looked down, thinking for a moment. "What about behind us?" Pearl and Rose turned and looked at the gentle forest behind them. "Aren't the trees beautiful?"

"Trees...?" Rose looked curiously at them.

"Yes, oh what did Steven say he did for Lapis that made her stop hating us..." Pearl thought for a moment. "Oh!" she hurried over to a tree and grabbed a branch. She twisted her wrist and snapped it off, then presented the bundle of leaves to Rose. "These are leaves. They show how Earth uh...has...leaves?" Rose just stared back in confusion. "Oh forget it!" Pearl yelled, throwing the branch down and marching back up towards the cliff. "Maybe I should have just let Steven show you this stuff."

"Pearl," Rose said, sympathetically. "I'm not upset or anything. I'm just confused. Why is this really your favourite spot?"

"Well, the city is beautiful from here. But the real reason..." Pearl started to explain. "Before the city was even built, this is where Rose and I first...I mean, not you Rose, the other Rose, the old Rose. Well, not old but- The Rose who I...The one who..." Pearl nervously stammered and stuttered, trying to find the right words.

"Pearl, look." Rose said, with a hint of urgency in her voice.

"No no, let me explain, I-" Pearl continued trying to explain herself.

"Pearl, behind you."

"What? The trees? What about them?" Pearl shrugged.

"Pearl! Look behind you!" Rose yelled. Pearl finally turned around and saw what Rose was trying to warn her about. Standing in the trees, growling, was some sort of monster. The creature was blending in with its surroundings a bit, being mostly a mossy green in colour, with several lighter green streaks across its body. It stood tall, even on all fours, with muscular "arms" it kept on the ground, and boar-like legs that shaped into hooves at the back. Along it's back was a massive, pale green mane that ran down its back, forming a small tail. It's face was nothing but a mouth with razor-sharp teeth and a single horn that took up its entire head. "Pearl," Rose warned. She put a fist up against her gem, and light started pouring out of it, climbing up her arm and wrapping around to form her gauntlet. With a swing of her arm, the blade slid out to its full length. "Get behind me, I'll-"

"I'll protect you!" Pearl yelled, stepping in front of Rose, her spear already in her hands. She rushed forwards and jabbed her spear into the ground, using it to launch herself like a pole vaulter, slamming her foot into the monster's face, sending it stumbling backwards. The beast shakes its head and starts slicing with its claw-like fingers, but Pearl is able to dodge each one. Instead, the monster chopped at a tree, topping it and nearly hitting Pearl. She was unharmed, but it was enough to knock her off her feet and make her drop the spear. She reached for the spear but the beast's claws stabbed the ground between her and her weapon. The other claw came close to hitting Pearl, but the monster was forced back suddenly when something hit it in the face. Pearl looked up quickly and saw Steven's shield, flying through the air. She turned around and saw him standing in between Garnet and Amethyst, just in time for him to generate a new shield. He jumped high into the air, flying right over Pearl and blocking the monster's claw once again with his shield, giving Pearl enough time to grab her spear. The monster pressed it's deformed hand against Steven's shield as hard as it could, knocking him off his feet. Pearl knelt beside, to make sure he was okay. Amethyst was the next to rush into action. She dove forward, forming some sort of wheel with her own body, and rushed around the monster at blinding speed, easily wrapping her whip around its legs, forcing it to fall. Garnet hurried over and grabbed the creature by it's tail, then tossed it with ease incredibly high into the air. Pearl finished the fight by tossing her spear straight up, harpooning the monster and forcing it to disappear in a cloud of soft smoke. A green, hexagon-shaped gem fell from the sky, and right into Garnet's unarmed palm.

"That's a wrap guys." Garnet said with a smile, gripping the gem between her fingers, forming a small, translucent bubble around it.

"That...was..." Rose said nervously. "Incredible!" She ran over to join the Crystal Gems. "I've never seen a Pearl fight like that!"

"Well," Pearl scoffed. "Just for the record, I could have handled that myself."

"But Garnet said you might need some help," Steven explained.

"Prepare for the worst, hope for the best." Garnet suggested.

"Human, uh...Steven?" Rose smiled. "That shield of yours was amazing! I didn't know humans could do such things!"

"Well, half human." Steven laughed.

"And the Amethyst guard! I was wrong about you and your size!" She turned excitedly towards Garnet. "And whatever you are, I'm really impressed! You four make an incredible team!"

"Let's celebrate!" Amethyst cheered. "Steven, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Big doughnut?!" Steven yelped back. Amethyst nodded and rushed off. "If we get there right before closing, maybe Lars and Sadie will give us the leftovers for free!" he called out, chasing after her.

"What's a doughnut?" Rose asked. "And more importantly, what was that thing? Was that a gem?"

"Sort of." Garnet explained as they started walking down the hill.

"Well, if it's a gem you shouldn't keep it in a bubble like that." Rose scolded them. Garnet and Pearl shared an uncomfortable glance. "When are you going to let her out?"

"We'll explain everything later." Garnet assured her.

"Well, Pearl." Rose said, with a half-smile. "You were right. This planet has some things on it that I've never seen before..."


	4. Monsters

"We got doughnuts!" Amethyst shouted as she kicked open the door to the house, stumbling in with a large box in her arms.

"Oh Amethyst!" Pearl groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you not to kick the door?"

"What's a doughnut?" Rose asked, joining them by the door.

"They're great!" Amethyst yelled. "They're like sweet bagels!"

"The only dessert food you can have for breakfast," Steven added. Rose stood in silence.

"I have no idea what any of those words mean." she admitted.

"Here, watch!" Amethyst called out. She grasped a doughnut, chocolate with sprinkles, tightly in her fist and crammed it into her mouth. Steven also ate one, but in a calm, more human fashion. "It's called eating, and it's the best!" Rose gently selects a doughnut from the box and holds it near her face. She slowly takes an incredibly small bite, then her face lights up.

"Oh, this feeling! It's..." she tried to put it into words.

"Delicious?" Amethyst guessed.

"I don't know what that word means either, but this is...good!" she smiles. "But um...what happens to it next?"

"I can't believe you enjoyed that," Pearl scoffs.

"C'mon, I'll tell you what you have to do now," Amethyst grins, leading Rose off to the side, with Pearl following behind.

"Well," Steven said to Garnet. "She seems to be fitting in nicely. Pearl hasn't left her side since she got here." His smile shifted to an expression of worry as he said that.

"Steven," Garnet started. "You know that she isn't your mother, right?"

"Yeah," Steven nodded. "I just hope Pearl knows..."

"Pearl is capable of taking care of herself." Garnet assured him. "And no matter what happens, she has us."

"Well, I'll probably never be eating again," Rose admits, joining Steven and Garnet.

* * *

A little while later, the sun had just fully set and the full moon lit up the sky. Steven, Pearl and Rose were all standing out in the sand, while Lion slept on the rocks behind them.

"Isn't it beautiful," Pearl began, staring off at the gentle ocean waves. "The way Earth's moon reflects off the ocean?"

"So if you're also a Rose Quartz," Steven said, accidentally ignoring her, "does that mean we have the same powers? Like, can you do this?" his gem glows for a split second, and magic rose petals emerge around him, forming his bubble shield.

"I sure can," Rose smiled, doing the same and surrounding herself in a matching bubble. They shared a quick laugh as their bubbles dissolved.

"What about floating?" Steven said, lifting himself slowly into the air.

"Absolutely!" Rose laughed, floating even higher than him.

"So are you any good at getting back down?"

"Oh please," Pearl moaned. She casually grabbed him by the foot and dropped him into the sand, as Rose landed gracefully beside him. "Steven, I told you not to float outside until you've learned how to land safely." She folded her arms and stuck her nose in the air.

"Ahh, sorry Pearl." Steven shrugged, sitting up. "Oh! What about plants?" he said, quickly turning back to Rose.

"Oh it's been so long," Rose admitted. "I haven't even seen an organic plant in the longest time! But to answer your question, yes of course." She smiled and knelt beside him. "Rose Quartz soldiers were created by Pink Diamond, specifically for her Earth colony." Steven looked at her curiously, while Pearl immediately tensed up upon hearing that name. "When she saw how much plant life existed on this planet, she knew how useful a gem with the power to control them would be. Steven, do you have healing tears, too? Can you bring them forth on command?"

"Sorta, I have healing spit." he said. Though she was still smiling, Rose was able to produce a single tear that she wiped gently onto one of her fingers.

"Pink Diamond created Rose Quartzes for a special purpose. Rubies, Amethysts, even Jaspers and other quartz soldiers, they were all built solely for fighting. But Roses..." the teardrop seemed to glitter and sparkle as she held it up for Steven to see. "We were built to defend those gems that fight for our cause, and to heal those that were cracked in battle. Pink Diamond knew that by healing gems, instead of making replacements, we could save the resources needed to make gems to...well, make a wider variety."

"I guess that explains the shield." Steven said. Rose grinned and summoned her gauntlet from the light eminating from her gem.

"My weapon is this gauntlet." she explained. "I can use it to both block attacks, as well as fend off enemies. They say that Rose Quartz soldiers tend to have a natural empathy that other gems lacked, which makes us such effective healers."

"Healers..." Steven pondered. "Oh! Oohhh!" he jumped up excitedly, startling Rose a bit. "Do you know how to heal corrupted gems?!"

"Corrupted?" Rose asked.

"Steven!" Pearl screamed. "Isn't it about time for you to go to bed?"

"What? No way!" Steven protested. "It's not even that late!"

"Yes, it is!" Pearl warned. "Early to bed, early to rise!" she patted him on the back as a way of sending him on his way.

"Aww fine." he groaned as he walked up towards the house.

"Bed?" Rose asked.

"Oh yes," Pearl laughed awkwardly. "Humans like Steven need to lay down and go comatose for several hours a day in order to recharge."

"Oh, how peculiar!" Rose said. "Um, what did he mean by...corrupted gems?"

"Oh boy..." Pearl sighed. "Let me explain, er...after Steven falls asleep.

"If he falls, won't he get hurt?" Rose said curiously.

* * *

Later on that night, Steven was asleep, Garnet and Amethyst had gone into the temple to do whatever it is they do at night, and the new Rose sat almost motionless on the couch. The temple doors slid open and Pearl stepped out slowly.

"Rose?" she whispered. "I...I can show you what Steven was talking about now..."

"Oh! Good!" Rose yelled, only to be shushed by Pearl. She hurried through the doors, which closed behind her. Together they walk passed Pearl's room, filled with fountains and pools, and into the center room, known as the burning room. Rose looked around, in a mixture of fascination and horror, at the bubbles floating around her. "What is this terrible place? Are all of these...gems?!"

"Well, yes." Pearl explained. "But they aren't like you and me. They were...corrupted."

"What does that mean?!" Rose yelped.

"Remember the monster that me and the others fought on the cliff?" Pearl pointed to one of the bubbles, containing that same green gem. "Near the end of the war for Earth...there was..." Pearl paused nervously. "There was an attack. Innocent gems, even homeworld soldiers were all transformed into these...these monsters! So part of our job as protectors of this planet is to defeat and contain them until we can cure them. But for now, this is all we can do..."

"Well have you gotten any closer to curing them?" Rose demanded an answer.

"We almost did, once. Steven was able to-"

"Pearl!" Garnet yells, startling both gems. She was suddenly standing behind them, looking stern, with her arms folded. "What are you to doing in here?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Rose turned to yell. "Bubbling gems like this is just...horrible! I would know!" Garnet calmly walked over to the too, Pearl flinching a bit, as she does.

"It's all we can do at the moment." Garnet explains. "At least bubbled, they are safe..."

"You call this safe?" Rose said, grabbing a bubble. The bubble she held contained a forced fusion, a small cluster of shards crammed together. Rose squeezed the bubble, forcing it to pop, and letting the gem hybrid fall to the floor. It started to glow, and arms and legs made of pure light started reaching from its jagged center. Rose stepped back nervously, while Garnet quickly knelt down and grabbed it, forcing it into a new bubble before it could fully form. "What WAS that?" Rose shouted.

"Another one of Homeworld's cruel creations...a hybrid...a monster." Garnet mumbled. "This is why we need to keep them bubbled."

"Rose," Pearl said, reaching out to touch her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" Rose retreated. "You all act like you're better than your own planet, but you're the real monsters! But bubbling gems for something they can't control is just..." Rose didn't finish her sentence. "Let me out of this temple..." she growled.

"Rose, please!" Pearl begged as Rose rushed through the temple's door. Rose said nothing, and rushed through the front door of the house. She slammed the door, hard enough to put a few cracks in the walls, and hard enough to knock the picture of the old Rose off the wall. It crashed hard, shattering the glass across the frame. The commotion was enough to wake Steven, who sat up in his bed.

"Pearl? What happened?" Steven asked, still mostly asleep. Pearl said nothing. She just stared at the door, then down at the cracked picture of the Rose she originally loved.


	5. What They Did

Rose stood on the only part of Earth that she had known, the cliff overlooking Beach City.

"Rose!" Pearl called out.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Rose asked, without even turning around.

"Well, you really don't know a lot of the places here." Pearl explained.

"I don't think I want to." she sighed. "How can you defend humans while keeping your own kind bubbled like that?"

"It's not like that! There's not much else we can do for them!" Pearl tried desperately to explain. Rose stood in silence. The only sound they could hear was the slight breeze pushing around a few leaves. Rose finally turned around and spoke.

"Tell me the truth, Pearl." she started. "What's the real reason you like this spot so much?"

"I told you! It's ah..." she hesitated. "The view! The city, the trees, the ocean!"

"I know that isn't true..." Rose sighed.

"Okay." Pearl took a deep breath. "This is the place where...Rose-the old Rose-and I, first fused."

"You what?!" Rose shouted. "You..you...a pearl and a quartz soldier?! What would that even make?"

"A beautiful gem," Pearl explained. "Her name is Rainbow Quartz, and such a great gem could never exist on Homeworld!"

"Why WOULD it?!" Rose shouted in disgust. "Fusion on Homeworld is just...two of the same type of gem, that's it! And they should only be used when combined strength or enhanced power is needed!"

"No no, it's not like that!" Pearl said. "It's beautiful! It's powerful! It's amazing! Don't you know what kinds of gems can only exist from fusion like that?" Pearl asked. "Rainbow Quartz, Opal, Sardonyx, even..." Pearl paused for a moment. "Sugilite..." Rose just stood still, dumbfounded. "Even Steven was able to fuse with Amethyst, they made a gem called Smoky Quartz! Oh, or Alexandrite!"

"Alex-who?"

"Alexandrite! When Garnet, Amethyst and I all fuse, we form a massive, powerful gem named Alexandrite!"

"Three gems? All fused? All different?"

"Well, four, technically." Pearl expained. "Garnet herself is the perfect example of a great fusion! Ruby and Sapphire-

"A ruby and a sapphire fused to make Garnet?" Rose yelped. "But rubies are just common footsoldiers and sapphires are...well, they're sapphires!"

"Exactly, but they love each other! And look at how great they are together!"

"A small soldier, and a clairvoyant...?"

"Yes! Isn't it great?" Pearl said. "Those kinds of things just can't exist on homeworld! They just can't open their minds to it!"

"Is that why you 'Crystal Gems' chose Earth?"

"Well, not exactly." Pearl said. "None of us except Rose actually chose Earth. It's more like Earth chose us. Garnet, for example, joined the rebellion when Ruby and Sapphire accidentally fused in front of Blue Diamond, so they couldn't go back to Homeworld or they'd both be shattered! And Amethyst, well... she was made here. She's never even been to Homeworld. But on Earth, it's okay for them to be a fusion, or too short."

"But what about you?" Rose demanded, almost growling as she said it. "Why are YOU on this planet?"

"Well, I..." Pearl stammered. As she struggled to find the words, Steven, Amethyst and Garnet arrived on the cliff behind her. "I chose Rose. I believed in her cause, protecting the humans and organic life on this planet!"

"You chose to be a follower." Rose hissed. "You say you can be anything you want on this rock, but you're nothing special! You just followed someone else!"

"That's not true!" Steven protested, but Garnet put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Pink Diamond never would have allowed this." Rose sighed. "I have it all figured out. This Rose that you all worship was Homeworld's greatest enemy. The leader of the Earth rebellion, a traitor to her planet, and worst of all, the one who shattered Pink Diamond." Everyone fell silent and stared her. "Where were the four of you when it happened? I know where I was...I remember hearing the news...and I remember what they did to us when they found out."


	6. The Day Our Lives Were Shattered

Thousands of years ago, Gem War was at it's climax. Though it may not have seemed like it, Pink Diamond did truly care about the planet. Why else would she have built a zoo to preserve its organic life? It was going to be her first colonized planet. She wanted to preserve its memory. Unfortunately, the soldiers she had designed specifically for the Earth shared her empathy, and they say that's why one Rose Quartz soldier was able to turn on her own planet, and start a rebellion. Interestingly, the Rose that turned on her planet still showed concern for the safety of other gems. She didn't want a war, but she didn't want to hurt the humans either. The gems that fell in combat were mostly only poofed and sent back to their respective diamonds.

The day that shook up Homeworld, the Rose that started the rebellion made the diamonds weary of keeping other Roses too close to them. The day they heard the news about Pink Diamond, the new Rose, the one that returned to Earth just recently, was in a patrol of other Rose Quartz gems. Their task was simple: to search the battlefield and find any poofed or cracked gems, and to heal them if needed. The Roses marched with their weapons drawn, to prevent an ambush from the rebels. Behind them was a well dressed, pink gem. She had tall boots that reached above her knees, a deep red top with light pink shoulder pads. Her pale hair was styled neatly and cut just above her shoulders, and in the back of her hand was her gem, Pink Lace Agate. She stood on a floating, crystalline platform with a flat top and jagged, glowing bottom, with her head held high to watch over the lesser soldiers. The Homeworld Army needed to protect their own soldiers. The first Earth Kindergarten was out of resources, and the Beta Kindergarten produced few gems of any merit. Only one Beta Kindergartner came out the way she was expected to. A third Kindergarten was simply out of the question. Pink Diamond sent the Rose Quartz soldiers to find fallen, cracked gems, so that she could save resources. She wouldn't have to make more gems if she could heal the ones she already had. Gems that served under Pink Diamond were lucky, as this policy would spare their lives.

The "new" Rose had just found a cracked ruby on the battlefield when everything changed. She forced a single tear and gently touched the crack, causing it to glow and seal itself up, as though the gem was never cracked.

"There's been a change!" Pink Lace Agate shouted, startling the soldiers she was supervising. "Bubble all the gems you've found and send them back immediately." Though she had a commanding presence, it was clear that there was some sudden weakness in her voice, as though she was fighting back tears of her own. Rose did as she was told, forming a pink bubble around the ruby she had healed, and tapping the top of the bubble to send her back to Homeworld where she could safely regenerate. "I want all of you lined up immediately!" the agate commanded. A dome shaped saucer descended from the clouds onto the battlefield, as Pink Lace Agate pulled a whip from the gem on her hand. "Now!" she screamed, cracking the whip. The Quartz soldiers lined up in front of where the ship was landing. A triangle shaped door opened up in front of them, and they all started filing in, followed by Pink Lace herself.

* * *

Not much later, the ship arrived at a Homeworld base, built in the middle of the ocean. The base had a huge, perfectly square shape, and a smaller platform outside for ships to land on. Base shared a common pink and red color scheme. The ship landed among other, identical ships, each one pouring Rose Quartz soldiers outside, only for them to be shoved inside by their superiors. The Roses all stood in perfect lines, their weapons now put away, as a handful of other Pink Agates stood in line behind them. Inside was almost entirely empty, except for a small stage that held a massive pink throne. Beside the throne, hiding in its shadow, was Pink Diamond's pearl. Only her silhouette was visible. On either side of the throne were two huge columns that reached the ceiling. Beside each column stood two more pearls, yellow on the right and blue on the left.

"Presenting the lustrous Yellow Diamond!" Yellow Pearl proudly announced.

"and the luminous Blue Diamond." Blue Pearl added softly. The two columns began to descend into the floor, like elevators, and standing on top of them were Yellow and Blue Diamond. Yellow Diamond had her arms folded and a terrifying glare on her face, while Blue kept her hands together, her hood up, and a single stream of tears running down her cheek. Blue Pearl looked down shyly and wiped a tear away. Yellow Pearl bowed her head in respect and stepped to the side. In the crowd, every Rose and Agate did the standard diamond salute as they appeared. The two diamonds made brief eye contact before Yellow cleared her throat to speak.

"I'm afraid the War for Earth has taken a terrible turn for the worse." Yellow Diamond explained in her powerful voice. "Agates, you've heard the news. You're all dismissed. Take the ships back with you."

"Yes, my diamond." They all said together, bowing and stepping out of the building.

"As you all know, the war for this hideous planet was started by a Rose Quartz gem much like yourselves."

"Her own creation..." Blue Diamond whispered.

"Today is the most tragic of days..." Yellow started again. "This same Rose Quartz has taken treason to a new height." She paused for a moment, closing her eyes to stop herself from crying. "This Rose Quartz..."

"Facet 3B2. Cut 3FL." Blue clarified.

"This Rose..." Yellow Diamond repeated. "shattered Pink Diamond!" Every Rose in the crowd roared, including the "new" Rose.

"Shatter the rebels!" and "Take her gem!" the soldiers chanted.

"ENOUGH!" Yellow Diamond screamed in anger. "Unfortunately, we cannot take any more risks." she said ominously. "If one single Rose Quartz can start a war...if one single Rose Quartz can shatter her own diamond..." Yellow Diamond made a fist, a small aura of what looked like lightning appeared around her fingers. "Then not a single Rose Quartz can be trusted!" She threw her arm out forward, spreading her fingers and sending jolts of a destabilizing energy into the audience. Every single Rose had jagged, yellow lines appear on their bodies before they all poofed in a massive cloud. Blue Diamond shuddered in fear and sadness as their gems fell to the floor. "That was easy enough." Yellow said. "We'll have them all shattered before this planet's sun goes down."

"No." Blue Diamond warned, finally removing her hood. "These were Pink Diamond's own creation...they were created in her image." she said weakly.

"We don't have time for this!" Yellow argued. "We have to discuss the new plans for this planet, and how we can end this war! We need to get back to the Earth's moon and-"

"How can you be so quick to get back to business? Shouldn't we take time to mourn her loss?"

"Well what do you suggest we do?" Yellow growled.

"Pearl." Blue called. Pearl in the shadows finally spoke up.

"Yes, my diamond?"

"Bubble each of these soldiers." she ordered. "We'll take them to Pink Diamond's zoo when you're finished."

"Yes, my diamond." the pearl repeated.

"You want to keep that silly Zoo?" Yellow asked. "You're just going to sit here and watch her bubble all these gems?"

"Yes." Blue said softly, pulling her hood back up. "When you lose someone important, it's okay to be sad about it. I'll meet you on the moon when we finish."

"Fine." Yellow agreed. "But I just don't understand what the use of all this is."

"The use of all what?" Blue asked, surprised at Yellow's tone. The floor started to rise again, carrying Yellow Diamond, and her pearl, back through the top of the building.

"What's the use of feeling blue?" Yellow asked just before she left.

"She may never understand." Blue Diamond lamented to her own Pearl. "Losing Pink Diamond shattered our own lives, too."


	7. Nothing Like Her

"Our entire cut of gem..." Rose sighed. "All bubbled away forever, except this one that decided to turn into some sort of...hybrid!"

"I'm sorry that happened," Steven said quietly. "But...I know my mom didn't want that. If she had just known-"

"Why would she care?" Rose scoffed. "She got what she wanted. A dead diamond and freedom for these worthless organic lifeforms! And it didn't cost HER a thing!"

"But you're here now," Steven started. "It's like we've been trying to tell you. Earth can set you free."

"NO!" Rose hissed. "Earth set YOU free! It set them free!" she cried, gesturing to the crystal gems behind him. Amethyst and Garnet were visibly upset, but Pearl was frozen in complete shock. "Your Rose was defective!" The gems all gasped in shock at that statement.

"Defective how?" Amethyst spoke up.

"Like I said before," Rose explained. "Rose Quartz gems are designed to have a certain degree of empathy and compassion, which we can use to force a tear and heal our injured gems. If your Rose really had that same feeling, she never would have been able to bring herself to shatter a diamond." Rose shed a tear just mentioning her diamond like that. "She would have thought about Pink Diamond...and she would have thought about every other Rose Quartz gem!"

"She did!" Steven insisted. "She was thinking about everyone, even the humans and her own army. She...she..." Steven struggled to find the words.

"She shattered a diamond!" Rose yelled again. "And for what? A deformed Amethyst?"

"Hey!" Amethyst yelped.

"An abomination?" Rose continued. Garnet glared through her sunglasses. "Whatever you're supposed to be." she hissed at Steven. "And a planet of humans! Loud, annoying humans! You all bubble gems that don't fit into your plans!"

"The corrupted gems?" Steven asked.

"That's all we can do for them." Garnet said blankly. "We do what we can to protect-"

"I know!" Rose yelled. "To protect your precious humans, and that ocean, and those trees Pearl showed me."

"Didn't you say those things were...beautiful?" Steven asked with a smile.

"Sure they are." Rose admitted. "But the diamonds' vision was much better. What you rebels did...it just isn't worth it!" she took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Pearl." she said suddenly. "You and I can fix this."

"We...we can?" Pearl finally spoke. "How?"

"Come back with me."

"I can't go back to Homeworld!" Pearl protested. "I was one of the original members of the Crystal Gems! Rose and I...we..."

"I know." Rose interrupted. "But there is a way!"

"But the Earth...it's my home now!"

"You barely even like the humans! You only fought for this planet because of that other Rose. You can undo all of this! You can come back with me and free every other bubbled Rose Quartz!"

"What are you talking about?" Pearl insisted.

"You and I are the only gems that function properly on this planet! And think of how pleased the diamonds would be..." Rose reached up towards her gem and a flash of light climbed out of it, wrapping around her wrist and forming her bladed gauntlet. "if you and I got rid of the gem who shattered Pink Diamond." She swung her arm and the blade of her gauntlet extended. She aimed it right at Steven, specifically at his gem, as a sinister smile grew across her face.

"No, wait!" Steven pleaded, stepping back. "Please, put that away, and we can just talk this out..."

"Talking won't bring back my diamond, or free my fellow gems!" Rose snarled, before a purple whip wrapped around her arm. Amethyst yanked on her whip, forcing Rose to stumble to the side. She cracked the whip, sending a pulse of purple flames along the length, which reached Rose's body and sent a shock throughout it. She winced in pain before glaring at her fellow soldier. "Not bad for a mistake." she growled. She twisted her arm around the whip and yanked Amethyst toward her, then sent her away with a sudden punch from her other arm. Rose then turned her head to see Garnet lunging towards her. She blocked Garnet's armoured fist with her gauntlet, while summoning another on the other arm, which she then used to block Garnet's other fist. "Pearl told me what you are." Rose growled. "A common, weak Ruby, and a Sapphire, not designed for combat." Rose jumps up and throws a quick kick to Garnet, knocking her off her feet. She then turned back to Steven, who had his shield ready, but Rose easily swatted it out of his hands. It rolled over by Pearl, who stood paralyzed, on the verge of tears, and vanished. With one blade, Rose stabbed through the collar of Steven's shirt and lifted him up by it. His shirt raised, revealing his gem. With her other blade, Rose pulled her arm back, preparing for a stab.

"Nooo!" Steven cried out, desperately. Suddenly, both Rose's arms went limp. Her face shifted from a devilish glare to a stunned, open-mouthed look. Her blade ripped through the rest of Steven's collar, dropping him into the grass, where he rolled back a bit. Garnet and Amethyst appeared by his sides to help him up. Rose turned to look over her shoulder, where she saw Pearl. She had her spear in hand, with the head piercing Rose's back.

"You?" she snarled. "I was wrong about you. You really are defective. Nothing like the Pearls I knew on Homeworld."

"And you're nothing like the Rose I knew on Earth." Pearl replied. "I was wrong too...And we're not defective! None of us are!" she roared proudly.

"If only you could have seen it from my side..." Rose managed to whisper before her body exploded into a cloud of smoke, leaving nothing but her gemstone. Pearl let out an exhausted breath, before dropping to her knees and letting her spear evaporate. She smiled when Garnet, Steven and Amethyst approached her, but frowned again when she saw the fallen quartz gem beside them. She gently picked it up and cradled it in her palms.

"Should we...?" she was barely able to say. Garnet nodded, and Pearl formed a small, white bubble around the gem in her hand. Steven hugged Pearl from the side. Amethyst gave her a firm pat on the back while Garnet tenderly put a hand on her shoulder. She smiled again, surrounded by her family, all standing in silence.


	8. Maybe One Day Soon

Steven sat on the couch, wrapped in a grey throw blanket, trying to recover from his most recent near-death experience. Amethyst brought over a cup of hot chocolate to help him relax.

"I thought you were gonna have one too," he said to her.

"Nah," she shrugged. "I just like eating the powder." She sat beside him and emptied the packet of chocolate powder into her mouth. Garnet sat on his other side.

"Steven, are you okay?" she asked, after sitting silently for so long.

"Yeah, I guess so..."

"I know that's not true." Garnet said blankly.

"Yeah." Steven sighed. "It's not even the fact that a gem tried to kill me," he explained. "What really bugs me is what she said. All the bubbled Roses up in space."

"There's really no way we can help them." Garnet told him. "Not yet, at least."

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to them." Steven sighed again.

"There's that Rose Quartz empathy." Garnet smiled. "If what she told us was true, I think they'll be safe there. Bubbled, but safe." Steven looked over at the portrait of his mother that had fallen before. The glass was cracked, obscuring the picture a bit. He turned back to Garnet.

"Was she right? About mom being...defective?" he asked. The word 'defective' was enough to make Amethyst flinch.

"Of course not." Garnet assured him. "Your mom didn't even believe in the word defective."

"Yeah," Amethyst added. "Your mom functioned better than any other Rose Quartz!"

"What do you mean?"

"All that empathy the other Rose was talking about." she explained. "Your mom was the only one to feel it for something other than a gem."

"She's right." Garnet agreed. "None of us are defective on Earth. We're just different."

"But don't you guys feel bad?" Steven asked. "The new Rose...she didn't see it our way, even though we tried to show her, and now...we just put her back in a bubble..."

"Safety comes first." Garnet said. "We didn't bubble her for not agreeing with us. We bubbled her because she was a danger to us. And a danger to us could be a danger to this city, or the rest of the planet."

"Yeah," Amethyst said again. "Lapis didn't agree with us, but we didn't bubble her, even after she tried to kill us." Steven smiled again and put his mug on the coffee table.

"I'm gonna go check on Pearl." he said, standing up.

* * *

Pearl sat inside the temple, looking up at the bubbled Rose, floating around with the corrupted gems they'd defeated.

"Pearl?" Steven said, breaking the silence. "Are you..okay?"

"Oh!" She said, startled. "Yes, Steven. I'm...I'm fine...I just...I guess I was just fooling myself. Hoping she'd be just like your mother..." She gasped and turned towards Steven. "Sorry, I didn't need to tell you all that..."

"No, it's okay!" Steven assured her as he sat beside her. "I think we were all doing that..."

"I know it's silly," Pearl started. "but what she said kind of...got to me. About me leaving Homeworld just to be a follower..."

"Pearl, you know that's not true!" Steven shouted. "You were one of the original crystal gems! And if everything I've heard is true, you weren't just a follower, you were my mom's most trusted friend!" Pearl smiled softly, hearing Steven say all this.

"I guess you're right." She looked back up at the bubbles above her. She stood up an gently plucked Rose's bubble from the air. "Could you maybe...I don't want to keep her here with these corrupted gems. She wasn't like them..."

"I can keep her in Lion's mane, if you'd feel better." Steven offered. "And maybe one day we can unbubble her. We gave Peridot and Lapis a second chance, and they became great friends with us!"

"Maybe," Pearl said, smiling and putting a hand on Steven's shoulder. "Maybe one day soon."


End file.
